One Dozen Roses
by R4v3n Kn1ght
Summary: It all started because Remus Lupin needed money to afford his monthly Wolfsbane Potion. They came together over twelve years, and it began with a single rose on Valentine's Day.


**Author's Note:** _Valentine's Day is coming up. I've stashed away several ideas for the holiday, and decided to start with this one. It was originally conceived as a crack-fic, but ended up turning into something else. And in my imagination of things, Wolfsbane Potion allows Lupin to remain human and not transform. Can't remember if that is what it does in canon. But, that's what it does in this story. Happy Valentine's Day! Enjoy, everyone! ~ RK _

**One Dozen Roses**

If you were a werewolf, you needed one of two things: a safe place to disappear to so that when your time of the month arrived, you had somewhere private and quiet and usually remote where you could become your beastly shape without anyone trying to kill you. And if that wasn't readily available to you, well, you better hope you have money to get your little hands on some Wolfsbane Potion.

This had been Remus Lupin's problem since…well, since he could remember, really.

And when you were a werewolf in Remus Lupin's situation, you had two problems. No place to hide so you could transform without fear of being hunted down to die. That protection went right out the window since he left Hogwarts after graduation. The second problem was a little more…problematic. Wolfsbane Potion was always expensive. And when you were quite limited in finances like Lupin…

That was the time to get creative.

He spent a long time trying to figure out just what talent he could utilize that would enable him to make a little money to afford the Wolfsbane Potion. So, there he found himself, in his mid-twenties, leafing through the pages of the Daily Prophet's Wanted Advertisement section, nibbling his last chocolate bar, hoping that something would spark his interest. Then, he flipped a page and saw it. A very simple headline.

_Temporary Ban on Love Potions for Valentine's Day Ordered by Minister of Magic_

Valentine's Day. What a terrible holiday. Remus groaned to himself thinking about it. The one day designated out of the whole year when everyone was entitled to shove into the faces of anyone without a significant other just how lonely they were in life. And it was also the one holiday a year where shops and business owners could capitalize on the silly emotions people had for each other with the overpricing of silly gifts, sleazy gifts, inappropriate gifts, sometimes should-be-illegal gifts…

…and the occasional delicious confectionary gift.

Remus stared at the mostly-eaten chocolate bar in his hand. He had an idea.

~X~X~X~X~X~

It wasn't much, but that was because he was just starting out. He had a small little cart on the street of Diagon Alley. Unfortunately, it was right where the main street met Knockturn Alley, so his new business venture wasn't getting as much attention as it could if it were anywhere prominent, like maybe right outside of Ollivander's Wand Shop. But, maybe if his 'I need money for Wolfsbane Potion' fundraiser took off he could look into migrating his mobile shop a little further up the street next year.

He wagered that Hogsmeade was doing far more business now than Diagon Alley, especially with the stupid love-struck students of Hogwarts. Probably all walking around in romantic pairs, holding hands, kissing each other in public, crowding the tea shop for their dates – or even worse, their double dates! No, Hogsmeade was probably swamped with nauseating teenaged love. Which was probably why Diagon Alley was being traveled by the post-Hogwarts witches and wizards…and the students who were single and wanted nothing to do with walking around Hogsmeade on their own, surrounding by reminders of how they could not participate in the festivities that made up Valentine's Day.

He could see why some of these poor children were single. Some of them were rude, obviously didn't care about their personal hygiene, were clearly more interested in Quidditch, or whatever. Then, there was one young girl that shyly came up to his cart. She had dull brown hair, and downcast eyes. Her satchel was decorated with an assortment of brightly colored ribbons. Remus couldn't tell what could have been wrong with her according to her male classmates.

"Do you have any chocolate roses?"

He noticed that she still didn't look up at him.

"Yes," he answered. "How many?"

She pulled out a slip of parchment. It contained a small list. "Fourteen."

He offered the top of her head a small smile. "That's an unusual number."

She mumbled something. He asked her to repeat it. "My dad gets my mum one more chocolate rose for each year they've been married. But he couldn't go and get them this year, so he sent me. And I'm not going to Honeydukes today." He knew why – she didn't have a boyfriend. He knew what it felt like to be in her position. She paused, then remembered what she started talking about before she got sidetracked. "This year's fourteen."

He looked her over. She couldn't have been older than thirteen herself. He nodded. "Well, I have more than fourteen chocolate roses for your dad to give to your mother."

She smiled at the pavement.

He wrapped them in a pretty arrangement, the foils around the chocolate blooms all changing colors periodically, enchanted to create a visual spectacle to the recipient. The teenager handed him the money for the edible bouquet, and then turned around about to walk away. "Wait," he called. She turned around, and for the first time looked at him.

He knew he shouldn't do it. It was probably wrong for many reasons. But he sympathized with her loneliness, especially on Valentine's Day. He held out a glittering pink chocolate rose. "On me."

She smiled shyly as she accepted it. When he watched her walk away from his cart, he saw her hair turn into the same bubblegum pink as the flower he'd given her.

~X~X~X~X~X~

She came back the next year. He was allowed to move his cart away from Knockturn Alley's intersection. He was a little disappointed not to have a shop yet. Someday. He'll get there someday!

Apparently, though, he made decent chocolate roses. This year, he decided to flavor them. Once word got around about that, well, he sold a lot more than last year's collection. Young children who weren't old enough for Hogwarts dragged their parents up to his cart to get a chocolate. The older couples who wanted to keep things simple stopped by.

And so did the single students still attending Hogwarts.

He waited for the errand girl to come back this year. Diagon Alley was about to close. Only about fifteen minutes. He was packing up some of the supplies for wrapping, half-turned away when he heard someone's feet shuffling his way. He looked up.

There she was, and she still kept her eyes down. "You cut your hair."

She nodded. "I thought the boys might like shorter hair."

He nodded. "Some do."

"No, they don't. None of them did."

Remus didn't know why, but he wanted to see that smile from last year. He reached down and pulled out the pair of bright pink roses he'd had ready for this girl since the morning. "Well, I think it looks nice."

She didn't meet his eyes, but she took the two chocolate roses from him. "Thank you," she said, her voice a little shaky. Before Remus could reply, she had turned and ran off.

He wondered if anyone had told her that her hair looked nice.

~X~X~X~X~X~

He was allowed a little further up the alley this year. And he was getting better at this chocolate-making thing. More flavors, more variety meant better earning potential. He added a different flower to his selection along with the roses. Lilies. People liked lilies. And besides, he remembered his school friends, and how much they'd loved chocolate. He wasn't sure if she would have ever bought a chocolate lily, but he knew she would understand the idea behind it.

The lilies were white chocolate only, but had as many flavors as the chocolate roses.

Maybe he'd try doing some truffles next year. If that was too ambitious, he could maybe start offering something like a standard chocolate bar. He couldn't believe he didn't have those yet! Definitely adding the chocolate bar next year.

There was a line for his cart this year, which was fantastic news. This meant he'd make enough money to afford the potion for a little while longer than last year. Always a bonus. This was a great idea he'd had.

After he sent another little tyke off with a mint lily, he looked up to his next customer.

"Hello," she said.

"Back again," he greeted her with a smile.

"Like you." He realized that she was taller now. She looked down the street where he'd been permitted to set up shop last year. "Moving up the alley slowly."

"Just waiting for someone to leave their shop so I can move into it."

She laughed, though it was choked in the awkwardness of teenaged years. "That won't happen unless someone dies." She held up the object in her hand. "I mean, don't go hoping the Quidditch Supplies shop will go. I'm helping them stay in business at least."

"That is a nice broom."

"Yeah," she said, leaning it against his cart so she could tie some of the ribbons dangling from her satchel onto the handle. He conjured several pink ribbons of his own behind the cart and began to tie them to the three wrapped chocolate roses he'd had waiting for her. "I broke mine this fall, so I had to wait to get a new one."

"You play Quidditch?"

"I race."

Remus couldn't help the surprised expression. She was a daredevil then. "What House are you in?"

"Hufflepuff."

He grinned teasingly at her. "I thought Hufflepuffs like to keep pretty safe."

"Not all Hufflepuffs listen to the rules."

He laughed. "Neither do all the Gryffindors."

She tied the last ribbon on the handle. "I don't think I've met one Gryffindor that followed the rules!"

He tied the last ribbon on the chocolates. "No, they don't." He presented her with the three roses. He smiled as her hair turned the matching shade of pink. Her smile was bright. "But I was friends with the troublemakers in school."

~X~X~X~X~X~

At least Fortescue let him set up his cart next to his shop this year. It was still a little cold out, but people for some reason still enjoyed ice cream. Just for irony's sake, Remus decided to also add hot chocolate to his moveable cart's options. Actually, he just didn't want to be cold this year. That it took him this many years to figure out how to accomplish this embarrassed him a little.

Hopefully no one would bring it up.

"Hot chocolate this year, too?"

So much for that. Remus looked up from his steaming cup to see a familiar face. He smiled. "Just in case the lovely people courageous enough to venture through the alley were cold."

"Yourself included?" she laughed.

"Well, I can't sell my chocolate bouquets if I'm frozen, can I?"

She blushed. "I guess not."

Then, he noticed what was so different about her this year. She was wearing a cute dress this year. And she had paid a little more attention to the coloring in her face. "Do you have a date today, young lady?"

"Sort of," she said, her blush growing. "But…"

Remus leaned closer just a little. "But?"

"But he didn't give me roses or chocolate. I thought every boy knew that was practically required for Valentine's Day."

Remus pretended to be much more shocked and horrified than he actually was. "The nerve of him."

"I know. It's probably the last date he'll get."

Remus picked up her bouquet he had ready again. It had an added fourth rose and a ridiculous amount of pink ribbons keeping it together. "How could he not know these are your favorite?"

She smiled radiantly at him. "Because he doesn't know me like you do."

~X~X~X~X~X~

He was glad he had the hot chocolate this year because it was snowing! Remus bundled himself up solidly, a thick scarf around his neck, mittens keeping his hands warm. He was grateful to be a wizard. He could wrap customers' purchases with magic. No need to take his gloves off.

But he was definitely thinking about considering closing shop early this year. It was just too cold to be standing out here in Diagon Alley. Five years of this and no one left a shop available yet. This was starting to get annoying. All the other craftsmen and shopkeepers all had the indoors in which to keep warm. Not Remus Lupin. He toughed it out in the snowy wind, nursing a hot chocolate because he was so close to being able to afford Wolfsbane Potion for the whole year.

He looked down at the bright, glowing pink bouquet he kept reserved on his stool. His favorite customer didn't stop by yet. He'd stay open until she left.

The wait was not long. He saw her jogging up the alley holding a piece of parchment. She caught his eye and waved enthusiastically before her foot landed on a patch of ice and she went windmilling into a snowdrift, sending a burst of snowflakes into the wind. Eventually, she got back to her feet, still holding the parchment, and made her way to his cart. Even with all the snow in her hair, on her reddened, wind-bitten face, and all over her clothing, her joy was bursting in every direction. It was like her tumble hadn't even happened.

"Look!" She shoved the parchment at him.

He took it and looked at it. "I suppose I should congratulate you, young lady."

"Thanks!" Her eyes widened as though she remembered something incredibly important. "And it's Tonks, by the way."

"Tonks? That's an unusual name."

She rolled her eyes. "That's my last name. It's Nymphadora, but if anyone calls me that they get hexed."

"You won't hear that name from me, then, Tonks." He handed the parchment back to her. "What are you going to do with those scores then? Don't waste them."

She nodded, her smile confident. "I'm going to be an Auror."

"An Auror is tough."

"I can do it. Already applied. Just waiting for an answer."

Remus looked at her fully from head to toe. Yes, she had grown up considerably from the young girl that bought his chocolate roses for her father to give to her mother. She was becoming a confident young woman, excited about what the world could offer her. "How are your Defense skills?"

She drew her wand, and gave him a playful grin. "Would you like a demonstration?"

Remus eyed the wand warily. "I'm not sure, not with your impressive exam scores."

She stepped closer, waving the wand in mock-threat. "Are you sure?"

Playing along, Remus threw his hand up in front of his face. "No, no! Have mercy on a poor flower seller!"

"Fine," she said, trying to hold in the laughter. "I'll let you go, this time, but only if you give me some flowers."

Remus lowered his hand a little. "But they're only chocolate flowers."

Tonks made a dramatic show of thinking about it. "They'll do, flower man."

~X~X~X~X~X~

"Pick a color!" she said as soon as she apparated in front of his cart.

Remus gave her a disapproving look. "What if someone was standing there when you apparated?"

She snorted. "I came from just down the way, there," she said, pointing to the general direction of the shop that was five doors away. "Made sure no one was here." Tonks brushed her hair out of her eyes. "Now, pick a color."

"Um," Remus stuttered. "Maroon."

Tonks groaned. "Boring." A moment later, Remus saw that her shoulder-length hair turned Gryffindor maroon. As she exhaled, the maroon went away and her hair became its usual dull brown. "Another."

"Lavender."

She winked. "Better." She closed her eyes and willed her hair color to change. Before his eyes it became the color of lavender blossoms. She opened her eyes. They matched her new hair color. "Isn't it wicked?"

"You're a metamorphmagus, aren't you?"

"I'm being taught to control it now."

Remus nodded. He remembered her hope from last year. "Auror Training?"

She nodded excitedly. "With Alastor Moody. I couldn't believe he picked me to train."

Remus smiled at his favorite customer. He liked Tonks. Her enthusiasm for life was infectious. He remembered being like that before the War. A flustered-looking young man approached his cart, and stopped behind Tonks. Remus realized, with a little regret, that his conversation with Tonks was going to be shorter this year. So, he presented her with her yearly bouquet of pink chocolate roses, six of them. "As usual," he announced. At the sight of her flowers, Tonks's hair went from dull to vibrant pink.

"I like this color the best," he told her.

~X~X~X~X~X~

He'd had an unusual amount of people come to his cart this year. What was going on? Was everyone taking love potions this year? He had never sold so much chocolate in his entire seven years of doing this! He easily made his quota. Which was great and all, but there was something missing.

Tonks didn't show up this year.

Maybe she had a date this time. It couldn't last forever, could it? Eventually, someone would come to realize that she was worth some attention. Granted, no one ever gave Remus that attention either, but still! She was an attractive woman. She was going to be an Auror. She was learning with Moody. That had to be something. She'd be a fierce mother one day with her training coming into it. Remus chuckled to himself as he thought of how she would interrogate a young teenager who wanted to date her son or daughter. He would love to see that one day.

A throat cleared in front of him, making him awkwardly aware that he'd been daydreaming a little.

He'd seen this man a few hours ago. He'd gotten a mixture of a dozen lilies and roses, all of them white. He didn't want the white ones at first. He'd tried to get Remus to sell him the pink bouquet he had set aside for Tonks. But Remus stood his ground and told him that they were preordered and already paid for. They weren't for sale. The man had blustered angrily and then settled for the white arrangement. He'd gone off in a huff.

And now he was back. That could either be very good news or very, very bad news.

Remus met the man's eyes as calmly as he could. "My wife has a complaint about the flowers I got from you." Remus didn't say anything. He knew this man would keep talking anyway. "She wanted pink ones."

Remus shifted his weight. "I don't have pink ones left."

The man shook his hand at the seven pink, wrapped chocolate roses furiously. "Yes, you do! Right there!"

Remus couldn't believe this man. "And I told you earlier they were pre-ordered. And not for sale."

"I'll pay you double for them!"

Remus knew he shouldn't do it. He knew he shouldn't turn his back on an angry customer. Especially an angry wizard. But he turned long enough to grab the bouquet and was about to lock them up into a compartment of the cart when he turned back to the man to give a scathing reply, but the man was gone.

In his place stood Tonks, wearing the same clothing as the angry wizard, though because he had been bigger than her, she now looked like a street urchin. A street urchin with pink hair. Her lips stretched into a mischievous grin. "I always wondered if you had those waiting for me. Guess I know now."

Remus released all of his tension in one breath. He didn't say anything as he gave her the bouquet.

~X~X~X~X~X~

He really was too tired for this. Especially this year. He never really appreciated until this year just how exhausting it was being a Hogwarts professor. And, quite honestly, he felt a little guilty for all of the trouble he and his friends had caused during their schooldays. Although Harry and his two friends were doing a good enough job of that, too.

Remus barely had the energy to get off his stool this year. Between normal classes he was teaching, and the private Boggart lessons with Harry, he was nearing exhaustion. Full exhaustion. But he now had a bit of a reputation as the Chocolate Roses Specialist of Diagon Alley, and Valentine's Day was his big day. Had had enough money from last year to get him a few months into this year, but he still had to cover this year. He didn't really know how long Snape's generosity would last with making the Wolfsbane for free.

He probably had orders from Dumbledore to supply him with it. It wouldn't surprise him.

"Your name's Remus?"

He looked up slowly and met the eyes of Nymphadora Tonks. "Yes, it is, Tonks."

She shook her head. "All these years I never knew your name."

Remus sipped his hot chocolate. "I know. It's actually impressive."

She was quieter than usual this year. "How's being a teacher?"

He laughed through his nose. "Exhausting."

"It looks it."

He sighed, then took another sip of his steaming drink. "You're staying safe out there catching Dark Wizards?"

"I try," she said. Tonks came around the cart, and picked up her eight, wrapped, pink chocolate roses. Then, very quickly, she kissed his cheek. "Get some sleep, Professor Lupin."

She left so quickly that she never saw his tired smile.

~X~X~X~X~X~

"I'm sorry to hear about what Snape did to you."

Remus looked around quickly. His business plummeted this year. He couldn't really blame Snape, though his actions were the catalyst, probably. Now that the Head of Slytherin announced publicly that he was a werewolf, no one wanted anything to do with him.

"What's done is done."

Tonks bit her lip and came to stand beside him. "He had no right to do that to you."

He wanted to argue with her. But as a former teacher, Remus understood that Snape's motivation possibly stemmed from two causes, wanting to protect his students from the possibility of being bitten by a werewolf – it had almost happened to Severus when they were schoolboys anyway, so it was quite possible – and also because of that very nearly-biting-Snape incident, he may still hold some resentment towards Remus. He understood. He did.

At least he kept telling himself that.

With resignation, he stood from his stool and began to pack up his cart. This would probably be the last year. To his amazement, Tonks stayed with him and helped him. They packed everything up in silence. He saw her pick up the bouquet of nine roses quietly from the second stool. When he had shrunk everything so that it could fit inside his pocket, he turned to her. "Why did you come?"

The look on Tonks's face could only be described as compassion. She shook her head sadly. "Because you're still the same Remus Lupin that gave me a chocolate rose nine years ago. Finding out that you're a werewolf doesn't take that away."

He turned away from her then, not wanting her to see how those words affected him.

~X~X~X~X~X~

He should have known, really. She was an Auror now, after all. But it was still a surprise when he attended the first meeting for the newly reformed Order of the Phoenix, and saw her walk in and sit down directly across from him.

Remus could tell that she wanted to talk to him as much as he wanted to talk to her during those meetings. But these were important. More important than catching up. And so, meeting after meeting ended with everyone receiving their various assignments and dispersing to carry them out, leaving very little time for members to make any kind of small talk.

Valentine's Day had technically passed by the time the Order had another meeting. But as everyone began to arrive, and he caught sight of her, Remus knew that they both thought something similar. She walked past her usual chair across from him, coming around the long table and sitting down in the chair to his right.

In every previous interaction they had, she had been the shy one. Remus felt the heat in his face as he slowly handed her the wrapped bouquet of ten roses – the only ten he'd made this year – under the table, so that no one else would see. Tonks looked down as the wrapping touched her fingers. He was impressed that she managed to keep her surprise silent.

"Remus," she whispered.

She accepted the chocolates with a small smile. Remus noticed that the smile lasted the entire meeting, despite the serious topics of discussion.

~X~X~X~X~X~

His last friend from his youth was dead. It was still difficult to bear. The events that took place at the Ministry still haunted his sleep. Even after all this time. The meetings were getting more and more grim. The danger and threats from the Death Eaters grew daily. Remus could feel the tension in the Order of the Phoenix. Their optimism was beginning to fail.

Dumbledore was ill. Everyone had seen his hand. Snape was never far from the Headmaster's side. Remus knew that his former classmate was skilled in Defense Against the Dark Arts – probably why Dumbledore gave him the position this year. Who better to teach that class in such dark times than someone who would not conceal the horrors of the Dark Arts?

It was simply a dark year. And he doubted it would get any better. Things had to get much worse during the last war before things had a chance of improvement. Remus expected something similar this time.

He had been alone for a while now. Just thinking. He remembered that Harry was starting to become obsessed with whatever Draco Malfoy was up to. The boy was convinced Snape was helping him. Remus wasn't overly fond of Severus, but he couldn't believe that he would betray Dumbledore like Harry was trying to convince him. Dumbledore had vouched for Snape repeatedly. Surely Dumbledore could not be wrong. If Dumbledore could put his faith and trust in Severus Snape, then so could Remus. Harry was not so easily convinced to do the same.

Some people were just stubborn.

He felt her presence before he looked at her. "You know, Remus, I've been thinking about something."

Remus didn't want to look at her. She'd begun to lose her spark, her life. He knew he was partly to blame for it. He knew how she had grown to feel about him, and so he'd started to keep his distance. She'd been hurt by it, but as Remus knew well from spending his schooldays among Gryffindors that some people were just stubborn.

And right now, Nymphadora Tonks was very stubborn.

"I know this last year has been…difficult. And…" He heard her swallow. "No one should go through grief alone, Remus."

He rose and retreated from her. She was only trying to help. He knew that. Remus had been alone for so long that he just…He couldn't accept help. He'd been alone as a werewolf, with that secret burden hanging over his existence almost his entire life. He couldn't bring her into his world – his dark world, where people looked at him in fear. Where he couldn't be friends with anyone because of what he was.

Not human. Not really. He was something else. A werewolf. A monster.

"You've been the most reliable constant in my life except my family."

He couldn't hear this. He knew where something like this led. And with him it would lead nowhere good. Remus drew the eleven chocolate flowers from his threadbare jacket – from the inner pocket. They were smaller than last year, but there were eleven of them. Had he really known her for eleven years?

He wanted her to have them. Despite everything inside of him telling him to run from this conversation. She should have them.

"It's crazy, I know, but…I thought after all this time, maybe it would make sense that we should get married."

Remus dropped the bouquet to the floor in shock and dread. He didn't even hear the sound they made when they landed. He heard one word over and over. _Married._ He turned to her, his mouth open. She was looking at the floor, where the chocolate roses had fallen. "Why?" he breathed.

Tonks raised her watery eyes to meet his, the color, the brightness, the life gone from her as she choked on her words. "Because I love you."

Remus shook his head, unable to breathe, and apparated away.

~X~X~X~X~X~

Everything had happened so fast after that. Dumbledore was dead. Remus's world was shattered again. Snape had been waiting to betray them after all. How could they all have been so stupid? Everyone had been so stupid.

And then, Tonks had found him again. He had seen Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour in the Infirmary. Tonks had wanted him to see it. And he had understood what she had tried to say. By the time Dumbledore was laid to rest, Remus was able to accept what she was offering him.

They had married that summer, quietly. Tonks didn't seem to care about where they were married. She had been radiant with happiness that day. She was also radiant when she told him that she was expecting.

It was the second time that Remus was overwhelmed with fear and dread so completely that he reacted before he thought. He pushed her away again. He could not bear it if his child was born a lycanthrope. Why didn't he think of this earlier?

And so he ran from his wife.

He ran from his unborn child.

But here he had returned, after his panic was lessened, his fear replaced with shame. All because Harry had called him a coward to his face. Now, it was time for amends…

…and upholding a longstanding tradition.

She looked at him with the same watery eyes from one year ago. Remus never wanted to see her eyes like this again. He rushed to her side, absently setting the wrapped one dozen pink chocolate roses on the side table. "I'm sorry." It was all he could say. There was nothing else he could say. "I'm sorry for everything."

"You're not, you know."

He knew he probably looked very confused. He had told her everything that he'd done since he abandoned her. "What?"

"You're not a coward."

He opened his mouth to argue, but she shushed him. "If you were, you'd still be who knows where, still afraid of something you can't control. But you came back where you belong." He let her cup his scarred cheek. "You've lived your life for so long defined by fear of what others would think that you never stopped to see what you actually have. People that love you."

Remus felt his eyes moisten. "You were never afraid. Or ashamed."

She smiled gently at him. "Because you are nothing I have to fear. And I will never be ashamed of you. Someone who lived with what you have for so long is someone brave in the best way. And when our child is born, I know he'll see that in his father, too. No one can be ashamed of a brave father." She gave him a pointed expression. "But he'd be ashamed of his father if he were a coward."

He didn't want to breathe. If he did, he knew he would choke or cough. But he did allow his tears to fall. "I hope he takes after his mother more than me."

She brushed away his tears. "Whoever he takes after, I will love him as much as I love his father." She giggled softly. "What would you say to asking Harry to be godfather?"

The question threw him. He knew he must look as confused as he felt. "I – uh – Are you – why?"

Tonks shook her head, reaching for his yearly gift. She was going to eat them with him this year. It would be the first time. "To thank him for sending you home."

Remus nodded. "I'll ask him the next time I see him."

Tonks unwrapped the first rose in the dozen, and bit hard into it. "Now that you're back," she said, blushing as she had when she was younger in Diagon Alley. "I think we should finally have a Valentine's Day kiss, don't you?"

He could not agree more.

**End Note:** _I hope everyone enjoyed this. I didn't even know I could write something romantic for this pairing, but I seem to have surprised myself. Leave a review on your way out. Please keep all flames to yourself. They are both unnecessary and unhelpful. Thank you! Happy Valentine's Day. ~ RK _


End file.
